As Bad As Each Other
by magenta.die
Summary: Bella exiles herself from everyone and is now living a new life after running away from a wedding.A wedding?Her wedding?Maybe...or not!  Edward,now a doctor,a ring reminding him of what he had done.  When they meet again, can they forgive and forget? BxE!


**A/N: READ THIS AND DON'T INGNORE THE CAPITALS! Okay, I have no experience working for a company before but I'd like to when I'm old enough. So forgive for my lack of knowldge about the situation and I hope you enjoy this piece of mine. Love, look-at-my-fake-name-at-the-bottom-of-the-page.**

**DisClaimer: The plot is mine, but sadly, not Twilight. If I did, I'd be taking Bella Swan's place on Isle Esme, not writing this. XP**

**As Bad As Each Other**

**chapter ONE**

The alarm clock blared but Bella refused to wake up and covered her head with a pillow instead. The sound persisted and she decided it was time to face yet another inevitable day of work. She peeked at the red insulting numbers flashing at her digital clock.

_Well, here goes..._

It wasn't that she doesn't like her job, in fact, she loves it! The feeling that the company is moving up mainly because of her ideas. The only thing that makes her down is the matter of not getting any promotion, not even a sign of it. Stephenie M (no one really knows her full surname, not even on the files and she never told anyone), is the main woman who manages Raise Saga Company. She's quite eccentric but Bella enjoys working for her. It was because of her crazy ideas too and stubborn countenance that the company is being lined up as one of the most successful business firm in the city along with Denali&Co and Swan Corp.

She refused to even think of her own family's company that she turned her back to. She knows that if she just comes back to them, she'll be offered a much better position. But she snubbed that temptation and kept working for Raise Saga.

"Rosalie?" Bella was shocked as she turned for the kitchen door and saw her friend sitting on the counter, fully dressed. "Did you seriously wake up before me? And already _dressed_?"

"Ouch, is that an insult?" her friend rebuffed. "But yeah, Jessica said she needs me with her really early today. Ugh! I can't even stand her! It's her own fucking fault for not running through the list the day before."

Rosalie works at the departments of Human Resources. Bella didn't miss a day where Rosalie didn't complain about how terrible "that Jessica Stanley girl!" is. She knows Rose got a point, though. Jessica beat Daisy Duck with those hips she uses when walking. Everyone found her ridiculous but some of the new males hired found her attractive. Bella wonders if it was just them, the women.

"Hello! Earth to Bella!"

It turned out Rosalie was still talking.

"Seriously, Bella. Talk about being too down-to-Earth."

"Sorry, Rose. I'm never a morning person, you know that. What were you saying?"

"I'm telling you about the clubbing you missed! You are so uptight, you do know that, right? I mean, you missed what probably was the best night _ever_!" Rosalie has that look on her face, Bella noticed. "And I met this really nice guy..."

_There it is!_, Bella thought.

Bella hid a dry smile and listened to her friend.

"You know how I avoided... well, _womanizers_?" Rosalie asked, a frown on her beautiful face. "I don't know really what's wrong with me but I got that feeling on him, but I feel okay with it?"

Bella laughed once and turned serious. "Well, did you approach him?" she asked, getting herself one of the toasts Rosalie prepared. "Did you even get his name?"

"Actually, he approached _me_." That wasn't a surprise. It would also not be a surprise if every man on the bar approached Rosalie. She is the exaggerated form of the word 'beautiful'. Blonde hair, long legs, you know. That beautiful. "And his name is Emmett. And he gave me his number. I'm still not sure whether to call him or not – hey! Where are you going?"

Bella proceeded to the stairs. "Sorry, Rose! Let me get a shower and get dress first. You wake up so early today, it's quite strange." She added.

"Yeah, yeah." Rosalie muttered. "Oh, and you better come next time!" She shouted after her friend. "You need to sort out your lack of relationship! It's unhealthy!"

Bella just laughed.

**oOo**

Bella entered the building, the usual sleepy and calm silence never failing to comfort her. It was a typical Monday morning. Every single one of them holding a Starbucks, even the people from the lift. They would twitch or comb their hair through the mirrors of the doors while the other hand juggles folders and binders and a steaming cup of Starbucks coffee which really helps for a person to perk up.

"Hey, Bells?" Angela asked, following in Bella's office. "Here's your assignment for today. Basically, you need to present a presentation for another company for a meeting. Stephenie said you better get this one, it doesn't said here why but it sounds pretty important for her." She said, giving Bella the folders signed by Stephenie.

"It doesn't say here which company either. What is it?" She skimmed through the folders but didn't found any.

"Oh, yeah! It's one of the branches of Denali&Co. Stephenie said that it's urgently important that we get in business with them."

Bella froze. At the same time she found a name, Tanya Denali.

_Denali&Co? Seriously? We compete with them and other companies, for Chrissakes! And Tanya De –_

"Tanya _Denali_? Are you sure? Shouldn't it be..." Bella tried to force name right out of her mouth. "... Cullen? Tanya Cullen, you mean?"

Angela looked at her strangely and handed her another set of folders. "No..." she said slowly. "Tanya Denali, daughter of Visily Denali, former owner of the company."

Bella decided to let it drop and shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, of course. Thanks, Angela."

"No problem." She turned for the door and turned right back around. "Oh wait, you wanna come with us for lunch?"

**oOo**

"You are _not _getting out of this!"

Rosalie entered the room with an ecstatic Angela trailing behind. They held a box of sticky buns and cans of Coke with them which they dropped on the immaculate table of Bella's. They themselves flopped down on the sofa by the side of the room. Bella looked between them and the food.

"Care to elaborate?" She said sarcastically before arranging the papers away from the falling condensations of water from the Coke cans.

"Oh, you neat freak!" Rosalie said and sighed exasperatedly, standing up and leaning towards Bella from across the table. "There is a party, _tomorrow night_. And _you_, Isabella Marie Swan, is not getting out of it. So I suggest you better start accepting and give in."

Bella thought about the assignment and _trouble _she just had in.

"Already done." Angela said, reading her mind. She picked up a one of the sticky buns and bit one before speaking again. "I talked with Stephenie about it. She said yes and she actually seemed enthusiastic about the idea. I guess she knows how much you needed a good party and how boring you sometimes are."

"I'm not boring!" Bella retorted. Being called boring is one of her pet peeves and Angela knew about it.

"Prove it. Come to the club tomorrow." Rosalie challenged quickly, raising an eyebrow. Clearly, they had planned this. Bella was almost intimidated by it and almost – almost! – gave in, but she knew better.

"I can't. I uh..." she looked for excuses at the top of her mind. "I... don't even have a new dress. Hah!"

"Well then, I guess you'll be joining us for shopping later on." Angela retorted.

Bella was surprised. Angela has always been the good one. Now, she's ganging up on her with Rosalie. Bella felt so small against those two.

"Wait, let me just make it sure with Stephenie."

The two both groaned and dropped back on the sofa. Bella thought how much Angela has been hanging out too much with Rosalie.

"Hello, Stephenie? Hello, Good morning!"

"Oh, Bella! Do you need anything?" Stephenie's soft, calm voice echoed through the phone.

"Um... I was just wondering about the assignment you gave me this morning? And my friends –"

"Oh, don't worry about it! I already re-scheduled when I considered you'll need more time; it will be two weeks time from now. You go have fun with your friends. Bye!" And with that, the phone line became a long beep.

_Oh, that strange woman!_

Bella looked to see her friends smiling smugly, a drink on their hands like two villains from an old movie. The only thing missing is the waving of the eyebrows, and Rosalie could do that! Suddenly, Bella felt claustrophobic: claustrophobic because her friends and her boss and _life _is closing in on her.

"Okay, fine!" The girls squealed but were silenced when Bella raised a finger. "One, condition: no heels."

**oOo**

Something that sounded like a goosebump-up-your-arms squeak waked the whole building. Then a clear of throat and Stephenie's voice came on, speaking through the speakers on every corners of the department.

"Since I'll be leaving today and I'll also be letting Ms. Swan to leave, I'm letting you all leave."

_For an owner of a big respectable company, you'd expect a much more structured sentence_, Bella thought. She cringed at how very '_nerdy_' she herself sounded. _Ugh, high school, don't remind me..._

" – and you should all thank Ms. Swan –"

_Wait, what? What had I missed?_

" – and I repeat: you can all go home now since I don't expect any work done today and I'm giving you more time to make sure we get in business with Denali&Co. If you have any ideas, pitch a meeting or something to Ms. Swan, she'll report to me. Unless, it's urgently necessary to stay for an assignment I gave you, then sorry, you must stay. That's all, good day."

Bella was walking through the cubicles at that time and she witnessed how everyone was silent for a while before erupting into great sighs and cheering. A few people groaned, including her.

"Do you think she's drunk again or something?" Angela asked, standing from her cubicle and looking at Bella.

No one can really answer that question. After all, Stephenie is very strange and everything's possible...

"Well, she's very blunt." Bella muttered to herself.

"Thank you, Bella!"

Bella turned around to discover Mike Newton, an easy smile on his round face.

"What, why?"

"Well you know, whatever you did to convince Ms. Stephenie to give us the rest of the day off." He laughed, the corners of his eyes crinkling and Bella noticed how he looked strangely older. "It's like high school..."

Bella smiled dryly before walking off into her office. Again, Angela was on her trail. She already had her bag on one shoulder and clutching a blue binder.

"Come on. I have direct orders from Rosalie that I escort you out so you won't run away. Wait, do you think the day off includes them? I've been meaning to meet up with that human resources guy, Ben Cheney. Do you know him?"

"Uh..." Bella didn't which one to answer. "I don't think Rose would be out for a while. But yeah, she have mentioned a Cheney but I don't know if it's your Cheney."

"Oh well. Come on, we need to get out! Let's go shop!"

"What about Rose?" She picked up the folder she was given earlier and reached for her bag, pulled out a compact and reapplied make-up.

"You live with her, Bella. You should know that she'll probably sneak out." Angela said with a laugh, smiling at her strange of a friend Bella.

**oOo**

Angela didn't disappoint, nor did Rosalie. Like expected, Rosalie sneaked out of the building looking even relaxed. She flirted with the receptionist saying she wasn't feeling well. She got off easily, thanking her lucky stars and good looks for helping her.

"Piece of cake." She said once outside.

"I wish I could do that." Angela said.

"Well, if we are going shopping, let's get a move on. I have to have dinner with my brother at seven." Bella said, looking at her watch. It was just two o'clock.

Three hours and one hundred and fifty dollars later, the girls are still on the look-out for shoes. They didn't talk much because they really concentrate which one to pick and when they can't decide, they just buy both of them. However, Bella was more reluctant than the other two.

"Tell me again why we can't wear the clothes we have at home?" She said, glancing at the price tag of a silver flats and grimacing at the price.

It was Angela who answered while going through another rack of clothes nearby. "Well, you're the one who suggested new clothes in the first place, so. Plus, it's bad luck."

"Really?" Rosalie asked.

Angela turned back to look and smiled mischievously. "Nope."

"See you later, Rose. Bye, Angela!" Bella said as she closed the door to her apartment where the girls had retired after the exhausting shopping trip that nearly took her life off of her. The other two are savouring a tub of ice cream while sitting on the comfy couch by the tv.

Bella crossed the zebra lines of the pedestrians, feeling much more refreshed and sweat-free after the shopping trip. She managed to hail and get a cab among the throng of other people waiting for one, so she quickly got to her destination, a restaurant called _Midnight Sun_ where her brother was most probably be sitting right now.

Her brother, Jacob, is the closest thing she had aside from Rosalie and her other friends. But she thought that it was two type of closeness. Jacob is family, the only one she kept to her life after that drastic accident... If it was even called an accident!

_Ugh_, she thought, quickly blacking out the memories that insisted to attack her. _Please, not tonight._

She talked to the female receptionist who gave her a sneer when she mentioned Jacob's name. Bella thought how very vulgar her mind is for her to think that she's going out with her _brother_. Again, Bella waved it off and followed where her brother is seated and laughed when she saw he was twitching out of impatience. Like always.

"Well, hello, my dear sister." Jacob said sarcastically when Bella was almost seated. "_Jolly_ nice for you to grace me with your presence!"

"Lay off the sarcasm, Jacob." Bella said. She picked up the menu and quickly ordered her usual meal. Then she turned back to her brother with a smile. The smile faded when she saw how serious Jacob had turned in a matter of seconds. "Spit it out, Jake."

She was suddenly nervous if she really wanted to know.

"Mom and Dad..." He sighed. "Well, they've found out your working for a rival company."

Bella released a breath she didn't she was holding. She was going to have to face this anyway so she might as well get to it. After all, the wonders she's doing at her work can be done at her own family's business

The waiters arrived with their foods and they ate quietly for a while. Jacob gave his sister time to absorb it.

"It's really not of a big deal to them, this." Jacob continued, gesturing with his fingers. "They were more concerned about you. I mean, look at you, Bella. Okay, you look fit but you have a tendency to really throw yourself into work. One dinner, you look thin as rake then another, you look okay."

"Are you implying I have bulimia?" Bella asked, annoyed. She looked at her brother and raised her eyebrow. "I'm just fine, Jake. Rosalie takes care of me, don't worry."

"Rosalie? As in that blonde bitch? I never really like her you know."

"Well you don't really have to since she's _my_ friend." She sighed again to calm herself. She doesn't want to fight with her brother now. "Now, tell me what's going on with you."

"And Mom and Dad have been asking about you, too." Jacob said, ignoring her question. "Seriously, Bells. You should have seen them freak out when a rumour reached them at that dinner party last week –"

"And I'd rather not hear them, thank you." She took a bite of another of her mushroom ravioli. "Tell them that whatever it is is not true."

He dropped his voice to a whisper, enough to reach Bella's ears. "And someone's been asking about you too, you know... E –"

"Jacob? _Please_, not tonight?" Bella said, slamming her fork back to the table. Her other hand reached unconsciously for her bag, ready to flight.

Bella knows who has been asking about her. She refuses to listen, though. Bringing him up would not be very, very good for her right now. It's so much more than she could take. She has avoided thinking about _him_ and _her_ – about _them_! – for so many goddamned years! And she's not about to break that now.

"NO! We are talking about this right now – hey, hey! Put that bag down! Look, I admit that Tanya was a bitch and Edward was a douchebag, and a jerk, and an asshole, and I really hate him for –"

"Your point, Jacob?"

"My point is..." Jacob trailed off to wear off the exasperation building up. "You never really knew what happened after you ran away after that goddamned wedding, do you? God! You never listen!"

"Well..." Bella started. But at the same time, her phone rung from her bag and after being still for five seconds, deciding that whoever it was wasn't going to give up, she flipped open her phone.

Rosalie's voice came.

"The party is TONIGHT! I repeat, _tonight_. So you better get your ass down here to get dress! We only got an hour! And if you dare not come, I will burn those Jane Austen books of yours!"

The line went dead and Bella continued to stare wide-eyes into space, forgetting her current problem right now and dreading her lack of choice which is to go home. Rosalie was known for always being true to her words. Then, Bella had an idea that this is an escape route to get out of this conversation. The other one, with her brother.

She suddenly stood up and reached for her bag, flinging down money for her share on food before hanging back the bag back to her shoulders. She tried to look apologetic and flustered for her brother. "I'm sorry, Jake! Rosalie – she... at home – and no choice!"

Bella heard her brother groaned when she finally turned her back to him. She suppressed a relieved smile breaking, fearing that it will reflect off on one of the glass mirrors.

First, she was happy that she got out of that conversation; she doesn't really want to hear how the two of her ex-best friends who had betrayed her lived happily ever after. Second, it was the first time that she looked forward for a party. She tried to ignore the small voice in her head saying that all she's looking for is the same as always: a distraction.

**oOo**

"Will you watch where you're going? Oh!" A spiky-haired girl had scolded when Bella accidentally bumped her. Bella felt a sense of déjà vu hit her; she was sure she had seen that girl before. But being used to blocking out unpleasant moments, Bella quickly forgot about it and a few minutes later, she was taking shots of whatever drink comes her way.

"You know, Bella," Angela's voice was slurred but went to other people's notice, because most of them are also drunk by now. "You never told us what you have against men?"

"They are FUCKING liars! I tell you that!" Rosalie shouted, taking another shot of tequila.

Her so-called nice guy, Emmett, didn't show up. They waited more than an hour before giving up. Then the three unanimously decided to get drunk.

"I just think they are overrated." Bella replied. She blushed when the unknown company they had met laughed. She's just half as drunk as Rosalie so she managed to keep a straight mind, but only by a few seconds.

"Well, do you mind if I just go to the loo?" she asked, standing up. She pushed down her skirt when she felt it ride up.

"LEmme go with you!" Rosalie shouted, way too loud.

One inside the quiet room, Bella moved directly to the sink. She opened the tap before splashing her face with some water. Even for a little refreshment, she felt better. She hated the literally dirty feeling that clung to her skin whenever she's drinking. And she felt her mind settle and her heart calm down.

She looked around but Rosalie was nowhere to be found. There were only three cubicles with closed doors at that time. She tried knocking on the first one but all she got was a deep _growl_ from the inside and a muffled moan. Bella was happy when her mind refused to come up with ideas. Then she went for the second closed door but found out it was not locked and there was no one inside. So, as she pushed the door she fell off balanced to the cold tiles of the toilet, her head hitting the bowl in the process. She was momentarily dazed and there was a great throb on the side of her head. She was sure she was about to pass out, but she didn't.

"OHMYGOD! BELLA!"

_Is that you, Rosalie?_ Bella only thought. She can barely open her eyes and speaking was completely lost on her. And there was a warm liquid running on the throbbing side of her face, dropping to her hands that are leaning to support her.

She smelled what it was and that was when she finally passed out.

**oOo**

She doesn't remember anything. Except screaming and thrashing out in a... white room? Why did she do that again?

She quickly opened her eyes but closed it immediately, the bright white lights of the room directly above her was blinding.

_Where am I? In a hospital?_

Moments of last night quickly ran through her mind. After that, she forced herself to remember more and regretted it instantly. _Now_, she remembers. She forced her eyes to shut tight.

_Oh please, please, no..._

"Bella." A velvet voice sighed in a distance, it sounded greatly relieved. "Finally."

Bella wished that if she can die in that fateful accident of hers, she could have done. Gone to hell for all of her faults and be miserable for the next eon years of her afterlife. She would choose anything, _anything_, but this. _Why_?

Because she _fucking_ _hate_ _EDWARD FREAKING CULLEN_!

That's why!

**A/N: I don't if it's good or boring since this is just an introduction to Bella's life, but PLS REVIEW! Yes, that button below. Mind you, press that before going to the Back button. To get you interested, here's something:**

**Bella and Edward and Tanya, yes, was in a wedding. And Bella ran away!**

_**Bella: Reviews are better than Edward's sexy voice. Well, not really. But for her *points at me*, close enough.**_

_**XP**_

**~#Chrissy#~**


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